Aircraft control system



July 2, 1968 H. L. RATLIFF. JR

AIRCRAFT CONTROL SYSTEM 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Sept. 8, 1964INVENTOR m z 42 7iy 968 a H. RATLIFF, JR 3,390,587

AIRCRAFT CONTROL SYSTEM Original Filed Sept. 8, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2ZSI A as: N254 95 52 I37 256 i |29A as 258 f: a 257 meg 3a 0 q Io 26!I299 264 c as 1' h 263 as ,1 a!" n 200 283 I aaa INVENTOR 40).

July 2, 1968 H. L. RATLIFF, JR 3,390,587

AIRCRAFT CONTROL SYSTEM Original Filed Sept. 8, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 3l/Tllllj/l/l/l/i] lLLl/I/l/l/T/l/[l 9 INVENTOR 9 M 4. XML.

July 2, 1968 H. 1. RATLIFF, JR

AIRCRAFT CONTROL SYSTEM Original Fi e e UIINVENTOR July 2, 1968 H.RATLIFF, JR

AIRCRAFT CONTROL SYSTEM Original Filed Sept. 8, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 5FIG. l5

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INVENTOR United States Patent 3,390,587 AIRCRAFT CONTROL SYSTEM HarveyL. Ratliff, Jr., Amarillo, Tex., assignor to Jetru Inc., Amarillo, Tex.Continuation of application Ser. No. 394,698, Sept. 8, 1964. Thisapplication Sept. 2, 1966, Ser. No. 577,091 11 Claims. (Cl. 74-471)ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A single lever control assembly which enablesmany controls from one lever. Axial displacement of the lever cancontrol one mechanism such as the throttle of a fixed wing aircraft.Rotational movement of the lever can control a second mechanism such asthe ailerons of a fixed wing aircraft. Lateral displacement of the leverabout a pivot point in a first, say horizontal, plane can control athird mechanism. Lateral displacement of the lever about the pivot pointin a second, say vertical, plane can control a fourth mechanism such asthe elevators of a fixed Wing aircraft. And manipulation of a switch orrheostat secured to the lever can control a fifth mechanism such as theflaps of a fixed wing aircraft.

This is a continuation application of my copending prior applicationSer. No. 394,698, filed Sept. 8, 1964, now abandoned, which was acontinuation-in-part application of and copending with my priorapplication Ser. No. 310,412, filed Sept. 20, 1963, now abandoned.

A brief summary of the invention is as follows:

This invention relates generally to control devices. Although it hasvirtually universal application (i.e. rotary wing aircraft, rocketsetc.), the most contemplated application is to fixed wing aircraft.

In the past, in order for a pilot to have instantaneous control of yaw,pitch, roll, and throttle, he had to have one hand on the roll and pitchcontrol wheel, the other hand on the throttle control, and both feet onthe yaw control means. If it was necessary for him to do anything else,he had to leave one of these controls unattended.

It is the primary object of the present invention to not only makepossible the control of yaw, pitch, roll, throttle and at least oneother control by a single hand without leaving a single handle but alsomake this possible in a simple, reliable, economic manner which insuresmechanical functions which provide as great force outputs as are neededat the control surfaces and as are provided by conventional controlsystems and communicates these force output requirements to said handle,

It is also an object to provide a control system that will be very easyto learn because its operation is almost instinctive with every humanbeing in that the cylindrical observable part (or the like) of thecontrol system which is movable by hand is pointed upwardly to point thenose of the flight vehicle upwardly, pointed downwardly to point thenose of the flight vehicle downwardly, pointed rightwardly to point thenose rightwardly, pointed leftwardly to point the nose leftwardly,rolled rightwardly to roll the flight vehicle rightwardly, rolledleftwardly to roll the flight vehicle leftwardly, pushed inwardly alongits own axis to increase the throttle and pulled outwardly along its ownaxis to decrease the throttle, and constructed such that at least oneswitch means controlling anything desired such as the flaps may bemanipulated by the thumb of the hand holding the handle of the controlsystem at the same instant said hand is controlling yaw, pitch, roll,and throttle. All of this time the other hand and both feet arecompletely free to manipulate any other controls needed or to justrelax.

Another object is to set forth a control system which "ice is workablein a simple, economic, reliable mechanical manner in small low speedfixed or rotary wing aircraft, but which in combination with hydraulicor electro-servo systems is adaptable to virtually any known type offlight vehicle; thereby saving the expense in time and money required totrain pilots different control systems for different types of flightvehicles.

It is still a further object of the present invention to not onlyprovide the pilot a sense of the attitude of the vehicle by observingthe angular disposition of the observable portion of the control system,but also to provide force characteristics of the control system whichwill give the pilot still a greater sense of the attitude of the flightvehicle.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become more apparentfrom a study of the following description taken with the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partially cut away isometric drawing showing the controlsystem of the present invention looking from the upper rearward right(considered from the orientation of the pilot).

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the control unit of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the control unit of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the system for transmitting any forcecharacteristics needed to the control surfaces of the flight vehicleembodied in the control unit of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partially sectional view of the tension compensatingelement.

FIG. 6 is a side partially sectional view of a contemplated form ofjoint element 10 taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 7 looking in the directionof the arrows.

FIG. 7 is a front sectional view of said contemplated form of jointelement 10 taken along line 77 of FIG. 9 looking in the direction of thearrows.

FIG. 8 is a top view partially in section showing the inside of 2' in acontemplated form of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a top view partially in section of said contemplated form ofjoint element 10 taken along line 9-9 of FIGS. 6 and 7 looking in thedirection of the arrows.

FIG. 10 is an isometric drawing showing a contemplated modified form ofelement 26.

FIG. 11 is a plan sectional view (taken along 1111 of FIG. 12 looking inthe direction of the arrows) of an element 250 used in FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is a side sectional view (taken along 1212 looking in thedirection of the arrows) of the element 250 of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is an isometric drawing showing a contemplated modified versionof handle 117.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view illustrating a contemplated form of switchmeans 139.

FIG. 15 is a schematic drawing diagrammatically illustrating theuniversal applicability of the present invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings reference is made to FIG. 1showing the inside of control unit 100. Long cylindrical element 1 isrigidly secured to handle 117 (which can be like any well known steeringor aileron activating wheel or the like) on one end and passes therefromthrough joint element 10, cylindrical element 2, control element 26,cylindrical element 2', and out beyond cylindrical element 2' far enoughthat when sheave 13 is as close to joint 10 as possible the other end of1 is still beyond 2 so that conduit 116 never rubs on 2.

Joint 10 is constructed such that element 1 may be rotated about its ownaxis, about a first axis which is perpendicular to 1 within 10, about asecond axis which is perpendicular to said first axis and moved back andforth along its own axis, such that element 2 is held from rotationabout its own axis or movement along its own axis but is forced torotate with element 1 about said first and second axes.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 6, 7, and 9. The socket element of joint10 is made up of elements 3 and 9. It is contemplated that element 8 isrigidly secured to element 2, is shaped like a sphere which has itsright end sliced off and its left end sliced off, and is as wide as theoutside diameter of element 2. Element 8 has a cylindrical holetherethrough which has a diameter slightly greater than the diameter ofelement 1 and which has an axis congruent with the axis of element 2thereby allowing 1 to slide in and out of 8. Bearings 4 are made free torotate within elements 6 in a well known manner and secured to element 8in a well known manner (such as by screws 5) thereby allowing 8 andthereby 1 and 2 to rotate about the bearing axis which is perpendicularto the axis of elements 1 and 2. Elements 7 are secured to elements 6 ina well known manner such as to not impede the rotation of element 8about said bearing axis and have the same radius of curvature as element8 to thereby present the appearance of a continual sphere above andbelow elements 6. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 elements 6 protrude beyondthe spherical surface of elements 7 and 8 and the socket made up ofelements 3 and wall 9 is constructed such that it allows joint 10 andthereby element 8 and thereby elements 1 and 2 to rotate about one axiswhich is perpendicular to said bearing axis (this would be the axis ofFIG. 9 which is perpendicular to the plane of the sheet of paper passingthrough the center of joint 10) and to be held from rotation about theother axis which is perpendicular to both said bearing axis and said oneaxis (this would be the axis of FIG. 9 which is within the plane of thesheet of paper passing through the center of joint 10). The insidediameter of element 2 is made slightly greater than the outside diameterof element 1. It may be seen that nothing about element 8 or element 2will keep element 1 from being rotated about its own axis or moved alongits own axis without moving element 8 and thereby without moving element2. Impeding means 161, 162, 163, and 164 of FIG. 6 do not keep element 1from being rotated about its own axis or moved along its own axis andwill be described in greater detail later. It can therefore be seen thatthe bearing axis corresponds to the first axis of the paragraphimmediately preceding. There are of course other ways of arranging joint10 in compliance with said immediately preceding paragraph which areobvious here from. The point being that there are three axes, the axisof element 1, an axis which is always perpendicular to the axis of 1,and an axis which is always perpendicular to both these axes, one of thetwo latter axes rotating with 1 with reference to element 9 and theother being fixed with reference to element 9.

Left and right elements 23 (the left element 23 as seen by the pilot issecured to 24) are rigidly secured to element 2 as shown in FIG. 1 andFIG. 10 at their inside ends and to elements 24 and 22 at their outsideends. The other ends of elements 24 and 22 respectively are rigidlysecured to the outside ends of left and right elements 25 which arerigidly secured at their inside ends to element 2'. Shoulder 19 andsheave or element 13 are each rigidly secured to element 1 as shown inFIG. 1 (shoulder 19 could be in front of element 13 as shown in FIG.10). Element 20 is rotatably mounted around element 1 between elements13 and 19. Left and right elements 17 are rigidly secured at theirinside ends to element 20 and at their outside ends to elements 16 andrespectively. Elements 16 and 15 are mounted around elements 24 and 22respectively such that they are free to move along the axis of 24 and 22respectively.

Sheaves 11 and 12 are rotatable secured to elements 15 and 16respectively as shown in FIG. 1. Also sheaves 11' and 12' are rotatablysecured by a means which is obscured from vision by the sheaves 11' and12' to right and left elements 17 respectively as may be seen in FIG. 1and FIG. 10. Sheaves 113, 113' (supported upon element 2 as shown), 114,114', 115, 115', 135, 136, 123 and 124 are rotably secured to 40R, 40L,40R, 40L, 40B, 40B, 40B, and 4013 respectively as shown in FIGS. 1, 2and 3. Also sheaves 210, 230, 219, 234, 220, 232, 223, 238, 78, 79, 81and 236 are rotatably secured to 211, 231, 40L, 235, 40R, 233, 40B, 237,40A, 40A, 40A, and 40A respectively as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

Cable 14 is secured within the rearward groove 242 of sheave or element13 at 241 wrapped over the top of sheave 13, threaded under sheave 11',around sheave 11, around sheave 113, around sheave 114 and around 115(see FIG. 2) as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 10. From sheave 115 cable 14 isthreaded around sheave 135, around sheave 126 (which is rotatablysecured to base plates 134 of tension maintaining control element andsecured to element 67 as shown in FIG. 3.

Cable 14 is secured within the forward groove 239 of sheave or element13 at 240 threaded over the top of sheave 13, threaded under sheave 12,around sheave 12, around sheave 113', around sheave 114 (as shown inFIG. 1) around 115, around sheave 136, around sheave 127 and secured toelement 67 (as shown in FIG. 3).

Cable 65 is secured to the left side of element 2 as shown in FIG. 1.From this point it is threaded through a jump roof sheave arrangement250 (i.e. see FIG. 19 of No. 310,412, filed Sept. 20, 1963, entitled AnAir- Craft Control System, now abandoned), around sheave 219, aroundsheave 234, around sheave 78, around sheave 92 and secured to element93, sheave 92 being rotatably secured to base plates 118 of tensionmaintaining control element 95.

Cable 66 is secured to the right side of element 2' as shown in FIG. 1.From this point it is threaded through right jump proof sheavearrangement 250, around sheave 220, around sheave 232, over sheave 236,around sheave 7 9, around sheave 94 and secured to element 93 as shownin FIG. 2, sheave 94 being rotatably secured to base plates 118 oftension maintaining element 95.

Cable 64 is secured to the top side of element 2 as shown in FIG. 1.From this point it is threaded through top jump proof sheave arrangement250 (not shown), around sheave 210, around sheave 230, around sheave 86and secured to element 87 as shown in FIG. 2, sheave 86 being rotatablysecured to base plates 121 of tension maintaining control element 90.

Cable 36 is secured to the bottom side of element 2' as shown in FIG. 1.From this point it is threaded through bottom jump proof sheavearrangement 250, around sheave 223, around sheave 238, around sheave 81,around sheave 88 and secured to element 87 as shown in FIG. 2, sheave 88being rotatably secured to base plates 121 of tension maintainingcontrol element 90.

Left and right elements 28 as shown in FIG. 1 are rigidly secured toleft and right elements 17 (or element 28 is secured to 19 as shown inFIG. 10). Left and right elements 29 are secured at their rearward endsto left and right elements 28 and at their forward ends to the forwardend of element 2 and rod or mechanical actuator 112 such that elements28 and 112 are rigidly secured together and allowed to move back andforth parallel to the axis of element 2 but held from all other movementby runner 111 under 2. Rod 112 controlling the throttle in a well knownmanner in the arrangement of FIG. 1.

In the arrangement of FIG. 10, element 29 is secured at its rearward endto element 28 and its forward end to element 111 which is rotatablysecured to element 2 as shown in FIG. 10. Rod 112 is secured to element111 at substantially the same point as 29 and therefore moves with 29such that when 1 is pushed into 10, 28 is made to move forward makingmaking 29 and therefore 112 move forward. correspondingly, when 1 ispulled outwardly from 10, (i.e. rearwardly), 112 is moved rearwardlyfrom the null position shown in FIG. 10.

Cables 137 and 138 are threaded such as to control the rollcharacteristics of the flight vehicle in response to movements ofelement 120 in a known manner i.e. see FIG. 9 of said No. 310,412, filedSept. 20, 1963, entitled An Aircraft Control System. Also cables 107 and108 are threaded such as to control the pitch characteristics of theflight vehicle in response to movements of element 90 and cables 109 and110 are threaded such as to control the yaw characteristics of theflight vehicle in response to movements of element 95 in a known manneri.e. see said FIG. 9.

Reference is now made to FIGS. ll and 12. It is contemplated thatelement 250 is used in conjunction with cables 36, 64, 66, and 65 asshown in FIG. 1; however, for the sake of illustration in FIGS. 11 and12 it is shown in conjunction with cable 64. Sheaves 243 are made freeto rotate about bearings 245 in a well known or obvious manner as shownin FIGS. 11 and 12. Bearings 243 are made to be supported by base 246 ina well known or obvious manner. Base 246 is secured to any one of walls40T, 40B, 40L or 40R in a well known or obvious manner. Means (such asscrews 244) are provided to loosen sheaves 243 in order to thread thedesired cable (such as cable 64) and to thereafter force sheaves 243firmly against said desired cable (such as cable 64). Two of the sheaves243 are placed such (when element 250 is secured to a wall such as 40R)that their axes are in the same direction as the axes of the sheavesused in 114 and two of the sheaves 243 are placed such that their axesare perpendicular thereto.

Tension sensing elements A, B, C, D, E, and F are threaded into cables137, 138, 107, 108, 109, and 110 respectively. Cable 137 is threadedaround sheave 256, around sheave 253 and around sheave 254 as shown inFIG. 4. The greater the tension in cable 137, the greater the forceexerted by piston 255 upon the fluid within chamber A1 and therefore thegreater the pressure of the fluid in tube 257. The greater the pressureof the fluid in tube 257 the greater the throttling effect of pressurerelief valve 252 and therefore the greater the pressure drop across 252,if fluid is passing therethrough. Pump 288 forces fluid from reservoir289 through valves 285, 282, 272, 268, 262 and 252, through conduit 251back to reservoir 289.

Cable 138 is threaded around sheave 261, around 258 and around 259 asshown in FIG. 4. The greater the tension in cable 138, the greater theforce exerted by piston 260 upon the fluid within chamber B1 andtherefore the greater the pressure of the fluid in tube 263. The greaterthe pressure of the fluid in tube 263 the greater the throttling eflectof pressure relief valve 262 and therefore the greater the pressure dropacross valve 262.

In a similar manner elements C1, 267, 264, 265, 266, and 269 cooperatetogether to make the pressure drop across valve 268 proportional to thetension in cable 107; elements D1, 27%, 270, 271, 273 and 275 cooperatetogether to make the pressure drop across valve 272 proportional to thetension in cable 108; elements E1, 279, 276, 277, 278 and 280 cooperatetogether to make the pressure drop across valve 282 proportional to thetension in cable 109; and elements F1, 286, 281, 283, 284 and 287cooperate together to make the pressure drop across valve 285proportional to the tension in cable 110.

Thepressure within tubes 129B, 54B, 56B and 1283 is amplified in a well:known manner (i.e. see the Aug. 25, 1964, issue of the Wall StreetJournal pages 1 and 12) such that when the pressure drop across 252equals the pressure drop across 262 (that is the tension in 137 equalsthat in 138), the pressure entering check valve 30-1 equals the pressureentering check valve 299; when the pressure drop across 268 equals thepressure drop across 272 (that is the tension in 107 equals that in108), the pressure entering check valve 297 equals the pressure enteringcheck valve 295, and when the pressure drop across 282 equals thepressure drop across 285 (that is the tension in 109 equals that in thepressure entering check valve 293 equals the pressure entering checkvalve 291. Similarly, when the tension in 137 equals that in 138, thepressure entering check valve 300 equals that entering check valve 298;when the tension in107 equals that in 108, the pressure entering checkvalve 296 equals that entering check valve 294 and when the tension in109 equals that in 110, the pressure entering valve 292 equals thatentering check valve 290.

Due to check valves 298, 299, 300 and 301 the pressure differencebetween the fluid within tube 129 and that within tube 128 isproportional to the tension within cable 137 or 138 whichever tension isthe greatest. Similarly, due to check valves 294, 295, 296 and 297 thepressure difference between the fluid within tube 54 and that withintube 33 is proportional to the tension within cable 107 or 108 whichevertension is the greatest, and due to check valves 293, 292, 291 and 290-the pressure difference between the fluid within tube 56 and that withintube 55 is proportional to the tension within cable 109 or 110 whicheveris the greatest. Of course the pressure within 188 equals that of 129and the pressure within equals that within 128. If desired the pressuredifference between the fluid within tubes 55 and 56, 33 and 54, and 129and 128 may be amplified by method described hereinabove or thesepressure differences may be used in more conventional manners to keepthe tension in cables 14 and 14' commensurate with the tension withineither 137 or 138 (whichever is the greatest), to keep the tension incables 36 and 64 commensurate with the tension within either 107 or 108(whichever is the greatest) and to keep the tension in cables 66 and 65commensurate with the tension within either 109 or 110 (whichever is thegreatest).

Piston 132 fits snugly within cylinder 133 (see FIG. 3) such that fluidmay not pass from one side of 132 to the other. Cylindrical chamber 133is fluid tight allowing rod 131 (which is rigidly connected to piston132 at one end and to element 67 at the other end) to reciprocate backand forth. The size of piston 132 is chosen such that for any pressuredifference between the fluid in tube 128 and the fluid in tube 129, thetension in cables 14 and 14 is held slightly greater than the tension ineither cable 137 or 138 whichever is the greatest. In this mannerwhatever force is required for proper roll control may be exerted by thepilot (not just minimum force outputs), but any required force output.

Piston 97 fits snugly within cylinder 122 (see FIG. 2) such that fluidmay not pass from one side of 97 to the other. Cylindrical chamber 122is fluid tight allowing rod 89 (which is rigidly connected to piston 97at one end and to element 87 at the other end) to reciprocate back andforth. The size of piston 97 is chosen such that for any pressuredifference between the fluid in tube 54 and the fluid in tube 33, thetension in cables 64 and 36 is held slightly greater than the tension ineither cable 107 or 108 whichever is the greatest. In this mannerwhatever force is required for proper pitch control may be exerted bythe pilot not just minimum force outputs, but any required force output.

Also piston 99 fits snugly within cylinder 119 such that fluid may notpass from one side of 99 to the other. Cylindrical chamber 119 is fluidtight allowing rod 91 (which is rigidly secured to piston 99 at one endand to element 93 at the other end) to reciprocate back and forth. Thesize of piston 99 is chosen such that for any pressure differencebetween the fluid in tube 55 and the fluid in tube 56, the tension incables 65 and 66 is held slightly greater than the tension in eithercable 109 or 110 whichever is the greatest. In this manner whateverforce is required for proper yaw control may be exerted by the pilot notjust minimum force outputs, but any required force output.

Further piston 187 fits snugly within cylinder 186 of tensioncompensating elements 180 (see FIGS. 1 and 5) such that fluid may notpass from one side of 187 to the other. Cylinder 186 is fluid tightallowing rod 184 (which is rigidly secured to piston 187 at one end, toelement 183 at the other) to reciprocate back and forth. The size ofpiston 187 is chosen such that the force exerted by it is in equilibriumwith the force exerted by piston 132 of FIG. 3. As stated before thepressure in 188 is the same as that in 129 and the pressure in 185 isthe same as that in 128. Element 183 is secured to rod 112 as shown,element 184 is secured at one end to cylinder 187 and at the other endto element 189 which is secured to front member 9, as shown in FIG. 5.It may clearly be seen that the pressure difference between the fluid intube 188 (and therefore on the front side of piston 187) and the fluidin tube 185 (and therefore on the rear side of piston 187) is equal toor proportional to the pressure difiference between the fluid in tube129 and the fluid in tube 128.

It may now be seen that when handle 117 is moved downwardly andtherefore element 1 is pointed upwardly, element 2 is moved upwardly,thereby placing a counter clockwise torque on element 90 (as viewed fromthe rear) which causes element 90 to rotate counterclockwise about 103because the pressure difference in chamber 122 is great enoughregardless of the tension in cable 107 or 108 that the pitch controlactuating system will yield before piston 97 will yield (for the reasonsdescribed hereiuabove). Also when handle 117 is moved down wardly andtherefore element 1 is pointed upwardly, the same amount of tension isplaced upon cable 66 as is placed upon cable 65, thereby forcing piston99 downwardly because no torque is placed on element 95 and piston 99will yield relatively easy (because the tension in 109 and 110 isrelatively low) and for practical purposes pin 104 will not yield atall. It is here pointed out that in this position of handle 117, thepressure difference within chamber 119 biases element 90 back to itsnull position.

Similarly when handle 117 is moved upwardly and therefore element 1 ispointed downwardly, element 90 rotates clockwise and no torque is placedupon element 95 and piston 99 is forced downward, element 90 beingbiased toward its null position.

When handle 117 is moved leftwardly and therefore element 1 is pointedrightwardly, element 2' is moved rightwardly, thereby placing acounterclockwise torque upon element 95 (as viewed from the rear) whichcauses element 95 to rotate counterclockwise about 104 be cause thedifference in pressure within chamber 119 is great enough regardless ofthe tension in cable 109 or 110, that the yaw control actuating systemwill yield before piston 99 will yield. Also when handle 117 is movedleftwardly and therefore element 1 is pointed rightwardly, the sameamount of tension is placed upon cable 64 as is placed upon cable 36,thereby forcing piston 97 downwardly because no torque is placed onelement 90 and piston 97 will yield relatively easy (because the tensionin 107 and 108 is at minimum) and for practical purposes pin 103 willnot yield at all. It is here pointed out that in this position of handle117, the pressure difference within chamber 122 biases element 95 backto its null position.

Similarly when handle 117 is moved rightwardly and therefore element 1is pointed leftwardly, element 95 rotates clockwise and no torque isplaced upon element 90 and piston 97 is forced downward, element 95being biased toward its null position.

When handle 117 is moved downwardly and leftwardly and therefore element1 is pointed upwardly and rightwardly, element 2' is moved upwardly andrightwardly, thereby causing elements 90 and 95 to rotatecounterclockwise and pistons 99 and 97 are forced downwardly,

thereby making the pitch of the flight vehicle upward and the yawrightward.

When handle 117 is moved upwardly and rightwardly and therefore element1 is pointed downwardly and leftwardly, element 2 is moved downwardlyand leftwardly, thereby causing elements and to rotate clockwise andpistons 99 and 97 are forced downwardly, thereby making the pitch of theflight vehicle downward and the yaw leftward.

When handle 117 is moved downwardly and rightwardly and thereforeelement 1 is pointed upwardly and leftwardly, element 2' is movedupwardly and leftwardly thereby causing element 99 to rotatecounterclockwise and element 95 to rotate clockwise; pistons 99 and 9 7being forced downwardly, thereby making the pitch of the flight vehicleupward and the yaw leftward.

When handle 117 is moved upwardy and leftwardly and therefore element 1is pointed downwardly and rightwardly, element 2 is moved downwardly andrightwardly thereby causing element 90 to rotate clockwise and element95 to rotate counterclockwise; pistons 99 and 97 being forceddownwardly, thereby making the pitch of the flight vehicle downward andthe yaw rightward.

It may now be seen that when handle 117 is rotated about the axis of 1in a clockwise direction, element 1 is rotated in a clockwise directionabout its own axis and therefore sheave 13 is rotated in a clockwisedirection about the axis of 1 while elements 17 are held from rotationabout the axis of 1; therefore (as viewed from the bottom) a clockwisetorque, is placed upon element 120 which causes element 120 to rotateclockwise about pin because the pressure difference in chamber 133 isheld proportionally strong enough regardless of the tension in 137 or138 that the roll control actuating system will yield before piston 132will yield.

Obviously, therefore, when handle 117 is rotated about the axis of 1 ina counterclockwise direction, element 120 is rotated in acounterclockwise direction (as viewed from the bottom) about pin 125.Springs 166 and bias element 120 back toward its null position.

When handle 117 is moved inwardly along the axis of 1, piston 132 yieldseasily (because of the counterbalancing force caused by the pressuredifference within chamber 186) and piston 132 moves toward pin 125 andno rotation of 120 results since no torque is placed upon element 120and since for practical purposes pin 125 will not yield at all. Alsorods 29 force rod 112 forwardly (as viewed by the pilot) to increase thethrottle.

When handle 117 is moved outwardly along the axis of 1, piston 132 movesaway from pin 125 to keep cables 14 and 14' tight because of thepressure difference within chamber 133 and no rotation takes place sinceno torque is placed upon element 120; also rods 29' force rod 112rearwardly (as viewed by the pilot) to decrease the throttle.

Of course if it is desired to make the force required by the pilot tocontrol yaw or pitch less without using conventional hydraulic powersystems or servo-systems, counterbalancing chambers could be devisedwhich work in conjunction with 119 and 122 in a manner obvious from therelationship :of chamber 133 to chamber 186.

It may now be seen that the hereinabove described control system issimple, reliable, economic and insures force outputs as great as areattainable with conventional control systems.

It is very simple to learn because its operation is instinctive in thatthe observable part 1 of the control system is pointed upwardly ('bymoving 117 downwardly) to point the nose of the flight vehicle upwardly,pointed downwardly (by moving 117 upwardly) to point the nose of theflight vehicle downwardly, pointed rightwardly (by moving 117leftwardly) to point the nose rightwardly, pointed leftwardy (by moving117 rightwardly) to point the nose leftwardly, rolled rightwardly toroll the flight vehicle rightwardly, rolled leftwardy to roll the flightvehicle leftwardly, pushed inwardly along its own axis to increase thethrottle and pulled outwardly along its own axis to decrease thethrottle.

Handle 117 can, of course, be the type shown in FIG. 1, which is asingle one handed handle, or it may be of the type shown in FIG. 13which is a combination one handed and/ or a two handed handle.

For more explanation of the universality of the system reference is madeto FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 14 and 15. At this point a general power controlsystem Will be described. In FIG. 15, there is shown schematicallypitch, yaw, roll, throttle, and auxiliary otentiometers or rheostats196, 197, 198, 199, and 206 respectively which are each controlled byelements 90, 95, 120, 29, and 139 respectively, in the alternativeuniversal system. Elements 90, 95, 120, and 29 are controlled asdescribed hereinabove and element 139 is controlled as will be describedhereinafter. The movements of pitch control element 90, yaw controlelement 95, roll control element 120, throttle control element 29, andauxiliary control element 139 produce signals proportional thereto fromtheir respective potentiometers or rheostats. The signals from pitchpotentiometer or rheostat 196 are fed into actuator 201 (which is a wellknown actuator), from yaw rheostat 197 are fed into actuator 202 (whichis a well known actuator), from roll rheostat 198 are fed into actuator203 (which is a well known actuator), from throttle rheostat 199 are fedinto actuator 204 (which is a well known actuator), and from auxiliaryrheostat 206 are fed into actuator 205 (which is a well known actuator).Actuator 201 moves the pitch changing means 191 (which may be controlsurfaces, moveable jet nozzles, rotary blades etc. of flight vehicles).Actuator 202 moves the yaw changing means 192 (which may be controlsurfaces, movable jet nozzles, rotary blades etc. of flight vehicles).Actuator 203 moves the roll changing means 193 (which may be controlsurfaces, movable jet nozzles, rotary blades etc. of flight vehicles).Actuator 204 moves the throttle changing means 194. Actuator 205 movesthe auxiliary chang ing means 195 (which may be control surfaces such asflaps, moveable jet nozzles, rotary blades etc. of flight ve hicles). Ofcourse, there could easily be more than one auxiliary system controlledfrom handle 117. Control 139 and element .206 may be a simple Well knownon-off switching arrangement as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 (which couldtrigger a gun) or they may work together to form a rheostat as shown inFIG. 14 (which could actuate flaps). Linking means 207 could connect asystem which is accessible to the thumb of the right hand of the pilotor to a system which is accessible to the thumb of the left hand of thepilot thereby making at least 5 separate controls possible for eitherhand while holding handle 117. Of course, there are a multiplicity ofadaptations of this control system which are obvious to one skilled inthe art which are not described herein. The wires 116 carrying the powerand signals from 206 of FIGS. 14 and 15 goes through handle 117 (asshown in FIG. 14) through element 1 (as shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 9), outthe end of 1 (as shown in FIG. 1) and to actuator 205 (of FIG. 15).

Probably the most important feature of this control system is that it isreadily adaptable to virtually every type of flight vehicle when used inconjunction with a servosystem, and is mechanically adaptableto-virtually every type of aircraft which is small enough to not requirea servo-system even if conventional control systems are used.

While the invention has been disclosed and described in some detail inthe drawings and foregoing description, they are to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive in character, as other modificationsmay readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art and withinthe broad scope of the invention, reference being bad to the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. A single lever control assembly for multiple controlled actuationscomprising:

a housing;

a joint allowing lateral displacement in a first direction and lateraldisplacement in a second direction which is perpendicular to said firstdirection supported by said housing;

a sleeve means supported by said joint;

a lever-handle control means having a control handle secured to one endthereof, extending through said sleeve means and mounted therewithin soas to be universally and slidably movable therein;

a first and second actuator means operatively connected to saidlever-handle control means along substantially said first and seconddirections respectively whereby displacement in said first direction ofsaid handle controls said first actuator means and displacement in saidsecond direction of said handle controls said second actuator means;

a coupling means coacting with said lever-handle control means;

a third actuator means operatively connected to said coupling meanswhereby rotation of said handle controls said third actuator means;

a fourth actuator means operatively connected to said coupling meanswhereby axial displacement of said handle controls said fourth actuatormeans.

2. A single lever control assembly as set forth in claim 1, furthercomprising:

a second sleeve means included as a part of said leverhandle controlmeans extending through the first said sleeve means and having thecontrol handle secured to one end thereof;

a switch means secured to said handle;

a fifth actuator means;

an electrical conductor means connected between said switch means andsaid fifth actuator means for control thereof responsive to manipulationof said switch, said conductor means being inserted within said secondsleeve means.

3. A single lever control assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein saidfirst, second and third actuator means include flexible transmittingmembers;

constant tension means operatively connected to said respective flexiblemembers for sustaining a predetermined tension therein.

4. A single lever control assembly for multiple controlled actuationscomprising:

a housing;

a universal joint supported by said housing;

a lever-handle control means having a control handle secured to one endthereof, extending through said joint and mounted therewithin so as tobe universally movable therein;

a first and second actuator means operatively connected to saidlever-handle control means along substantially a first direction and asecond direction which is perpendicular to said first directionrespectively whereby displacement in said first direction of said handlecontrols said first actuator means and displacement in said seconddirection of said handle controls said second actuator means;

a coupling means coacting with said lever-handle control means;

a third actuator means operatively connected to said coupling meanswhereby rotation of said handle controls said third actuator means.

5. A single lever control assembly as set forth in claim 4, furthercomprising:

a sleeve means included as a part of said lever-handle control meansextending through the universal joint and having the control handlesecured to one end thereof;

a switch means secured to said handle;

a fourth actuator means;

an electrical conductor means connected between said switch means andsaid fourth actuator means for control thereof responsive tomanipulations of said switch, said conductor means being inserted withinsaid sleeve means.

6. The single lever control assembly as set forth in claim 4, whereinsaid first, second and third actuator means include flexibletransmitting members;

constant tension means operatively connected to said respective flexiblemembers for sustaining a predeter-mined tension therein.

7. A single lever control assembly for multiple controlled actuationscomprising:

a housing;

a joint allowing lateral displacement supported by said housing;

a sleeve means supported by said joint;

a lever-handle control means having a control handle secured to one endthereof, extending through said sleeve means and mounted therewithin soas to be rotatably, laterally, and slidably movable therein;

a first actuator means operatively connected to said lever-handlecontrol means along a lateral path whereby lateral displacement of saidhandle controls said first actuator means;

a coupling means coacting with said lever-handle control means;

a second actuator means operatively connected to said coupling meanswhereby rotation of said handle controls said second actuator means;

a third actuator means operatively connected to said coupling meanswhereby axial displacement of said handle controls said third actuatormeans.

8. A single lever control assembly as set forth in claim 7, furthercomprising:

a second sleeve means included as a part of said leverhandle controlmeans extending through the first said sleeve means and having thecontrol handle secured to one end thereof;

a switch means secured to said handle;

a fourth actuator means;

an electrical conductor means connected between said switch means andsaid fourth actuator means for control thereof responsive tomanipulation of said switch, said conductor means being inserted withinsaid second sleeve means.

9. A single lever control assembly as set forth in claim 7, wherein saidfirst and second actuator means include flexible transmitting members;

constant tension means operatively connected to said respective flexiblemembers for sustaining a predetermined tension therein.

10. A single lever control assembly for multiple controlled a-ctuationscomprising:

a housing;

a universal joint supported by said housing;

a lever-handle control means having a control handle secured to one endthereof, extending through said joint and mounted therewithin so as tobe universal- 1y movable therein;

a first and second actuator means operatively connected to saidlever-handle control means along substantially a first direction and asecond direction which is erpendicular to said first directionrespectively with said universal joint intermediate said control handleand said first and second actuator means whereby displacement in saidfirst direction of said handle controls said first actuator means anddisplacement in said second direction of said handle controls saidsecond actuator means;

a coupling means coacting with said lever-handle control means with saiduniversal joint intermediate said control handle and said couplingmeans;

a third actuator means operatively connected to said coupling meanswhereby rotation of said handle controls said third actuator means.

11. A single lever control assembly for multiple controlled actuationscomprising:

a housing;

a joint allowing lateral displacement supported by said housing;

a sleeve means supported by said joint and extending through said joint;

a lever-handle control means having a control handle secured to one endthereof, extending through said sleeve means and mounted therewithin soas to be rotatably, laterally, and slidably movable therein;

a first actuator means operatively connected to said lever-handlecontrol means along a lateral path with said joint intermediate saidcontrol handle and said actuator means whereby lateral displacement ofsaid handle controls said first actuator means;

a coupling means coacting with said lever-handle control means with saidjoint intermediate said control handle and said coupling means;

a second actuator means operatively connected to said coupling meanswhereby rotation of said handle controls said second actuator means;

a third actuator means operatively connected to said coupling meanswhereby axial displacement of said handle controls said third actuatormeans.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,266,523 8/1966 Stevens 74-471 XMILTON KAUFMAN, Primary Examiner.

